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Meric Vetium
|} |} Meric Vetium is a Human A-Wing pilot in Condor Squadron for the New Republic. While originally in service to the Empire, he has recently defected from the TIE Corps after killing his Commanding Officer and sabotaging a mission which preventing the destruction of several New Republic craft that were attempting to transport escaped slaves and political prisoners out of Imperial Space. While not pleased by the actions that led him to defect from the Empire, Meric has come to believe in many of the founding principles of the New Republic. Physical Description Meric stands at a height of 1.7 meters with a fairly average build, although his appearance suggests he keeps himself in shape in accordance to military regulations. His skin is light in shade, contrasted by his short black hair that is brushed forward above his brown eyes and slightly parted down the center. He also wears a thin, finely kept chin beard and mustache, although the two are not connected. Over all, he presents a very clean and professional appearance that can easily change between cold discipline and a warm, friendly manner. History Youth (6 BBY - 12 ABY) Meric was born on Kuat to a small family, along with his sister. His father was an officer in the Imperial Navy, serving aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer that was largely stationed in-system. His father was the latest in a long line for his family, who served in the military. His father served now for the Empire, his grandfather fought in the Clone Wars for the Old Republic, and his great grandfather was the captain of a cruiser before that. It was only natural that, even from a very young age, Meric intended to follow in their footsteps. During his younger years, Meric focused hard on his studies. The boy showed a high mental aptitude, a strong discipline, and was always found near the top of his class at every level of education. He also participated in organizations throughout his life that would build toward a career in the Imperial Military. His decision to work toward a career in the Empire was entirely pragmatic as opposed to idealistic. His father served and he was located well within Imperial space. While he had no specific love for the Empire and its policies - although he did agree that a strong military focus was important - he knew he wanted to enter into the armed services to help protect the innocent people of the galaxy, like his family had done for ages past. When the time came, he applied to the Imperial Naval Academy and was accepted. Imperial Career (12 ABY - 18 ABY) For the next 30 months of his life at the Academy, he proved his worth. He performed extremely well in his studies and showed great aptitude as a pilot. His experience would mold him into a professional member of the Imperial Military, and he would be accepted into flight school as a TIE Pilot following his graduation. His period of training and the years following would exist in a turbulent period of the Empire. He entered the Academy shortly before the War of the Throne began, and graduated shortly before the fall of Coruscant. He began service as a full member of the TIE Corps during the Imperial Blitzkrieg and all of the events following it. Of these events, Meric saw little direct involvement. He had generally found himself stationed away from major battles, and until 18ABY had never fought against New Republic fighters. Instead, he would find himself in numerous combat engagements with pirates and local resistance cells. While his service would not stand him out as a war hero, he was seen to serve admirably, and the recognition of surviving for several years awarded him several promotions, and a transfer into aTIE Interceptorsquadron on the same ship within a year. Having proven himself as a solid pilot with a bright tactical mind, Meric was surprised that he was never moved to the front lines of combat. Instead, his use became apparent enough to him. While the garrison was not comprised of the greatest pilots, those in command on the other hand were. He felt he understood exactly what had been happening: he was being bred for leadership of his own squadron - he would become the XO of his Interceptor squadron - and perhaps eventually for more direct combat in the war. The latter of which was not, actually very appealing to him. As far as the pilot was concerned, the war was little more than a waste of resources - a fact that he kept very quiet. Likely, this was still something that held him off the front lines of combat; a questioning of just how loyal he was to the Imperial cause. Meric was intelligent. He was also an honorable person who, while he felt his work in the Empire was for the best, as he was able to provide peace and order in the space lanes where he was stationed, began to find many actions taken by the Empire to be questionable. While he willingly, and naively, overlooked many horrific catastrophes that the Empire had caused, it began to wear on him over time. Defection (18 ABY) In his first engagement against New Republic forces, his squadron, joined by a few bombers, were placed within a small asteroid field near a location where several NR ships were reported to be entering into. According to reports, it was a small group that were smuggling out Imperial property on a hijacked transport. Meric assumed that meant the cargo contained weapons, given the order to destroy them. The ships would require a stop within Imperial Space before they could jump again, due to the age of the transport being used. The cargo would then be transferred from the original vessel to another ship that it would meet in the asteroid field, which would be accompanied by several fighter craft. Intelligence had reported that the asteroid field they waited in was the location where the ships would exit hyperspace. After the ships arrived, the Imperial forces waited until they were grappled together to begin transferring cargo, which would prevent them from jumping to hyperspace. They launched an ambush intended to destroy the ships and their fighter escorts. As the battle began, Meric noted that the target appeared to contain a large number of lifeforms instead of military stocks, which he would later determine was, indeed "Imperial Property," in the sense that the ship was transporting escaped slaves and political prisoners. He was ordered to fire regardless. Instead, he fired on his commander's craft, killing the man and throwing the squadron into chaos. The NR forces were able to easily destroy the remaining craft Meric powered down his interceptor after taking refuge within the asteroid field from both the NR and Imperial ships. He was found by the New Republic craft, taken aboard the transport after surrendering, and placed into custody. After being moved to a New Republic fleet, Meric was brought into questioning. He detailed his actions, why he had done it, and how he felt about it afterward. Needless to say, the answer to the latter most question was "conflicted." After a great deal of consideration on his actions and his feelings toward the Empire, Meric offered to tell the New Republic what he knew about current Imperial activity. The information was minimal at best, but it was a strong step for what would later come: a full defection. It was not an easy thing to do. Meric had a long history within the Empire, and he had spent his life focused on becoming a proud member of the Imperial Military. While he had no idealistic attachment to the Empire (it was merely the government his world belonged to), and in fact found himself disagreeing with a fair number of policies, he had still dedicated his life to his service. Earning the trust of the New Republic wasn't an easy thing either, and he would undergo numerous evaluations for an extended period of time before he would be welcomed in. Upon officially entering into the New Republic, Meric was assigned as an A-Wing pilot of Condor Squadron, due to his experience with the TIE Interceptor. Although his rank had become somewhat impressive during his time in the Empire, he would find himself serving only as a Flight Officer in his new role, having yet to gain to truly gain the trust of the New Republic. However, come his first mission, he was able to begin showing his loyalty by flying into a deadly cloud of radiation with his modified A-Wing, along with members of several squadrons, to help cleanse Kashyyyk of nuclear fallout after a terrorist attack upon the world. While his shields failed, resulting in massive radiation poisoning, Meric would still completed his run and barely survive. Psychology Meric is largely known for having something of a split personality, largely derived from his time spent in the Imperial Military. When he is flying or performing any military-related task, he acts with high discipline. He is calm, and many could consider cold in these circumstances. However, due to the general life expectancy of a TIE Corps pilot being relatively short, Meric learned a long time ago to cherish the moments one has. When he is not flying and has his time off, he is an open and friendly person, who does little to take life seriously. While no one would likely mistake him for a "hot shot" pilot, and certainly lacking in arrogance, he can be a fun and friendly sort of person in those cases. While coming to strongly believe in the New Republic's values, he is still troubled by how he came to join it. His betrayal against his own squadron hurt him deeply, and cost the lives of many fellow pilots that he had considered friends. While he believes his actions were worth the price, betraying not just his friends, his loyalties, but also his father, who still serves the Empire, has been difficult. Awards New Republic Mission Patches Kashyyyk Relief Mission Patch Misc Wookiee Friendship Necklace Category:New Republic Pilots Category:Humans Category:NR Characters